Always The Accidents
by cinnamonandcoffee
Summary: Jily Spy AU: James and Lily are secret agents/spies working for the Order. They really dislike each other. Now, in order to recover the Philosophers Stone, they have to pretend to be a loved up couple. Give it a try! cover art by anxiouspineapples
1. Assigned Missions

**A/N: Hey guys! Starting a multi-chap Jily AU. Basically, they're spies (and they're hot) and they hate each others guts. Or do they? Now they're forced to be the loved up young couple and things are gonna be interesting!(hopefully). I'm not too happy with this chapter, it was a bit of a bore to write. But it had to be done. If you guys have any questions, just pm me or leave a review or ask me on tumblr. I'm cinnamoncoffeecharms.. I hope you guys like it. Lemme know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, not mine, all Jo's. Except the plot. Thats mine.**

* * *

Lily Evans bit her bottom lip as she sat in the Three Broomsticks waiting for Marlene to join her. She gazed into her drink and sloshed it around a little. Her mind was wandering through all possible topics. From her family back home in Surrey to Marlene's lateness to meet her to the unexpected Order meeting to the other members of the Order to a young man with a shock of messy black hair…NO. Lily stopped her thoughts from drifting to that prat of a man. Just the mere thought of him made her blood boil and she slammed her glass down on the table top.

"What's got you all riled up?" Marlene enquired sliding onto the stool opposite Lily.

Unfazed by Marlene's sudden appearance, it was her job after all, Lily waved her hand dismissively at her blonde friend. "Nothing important."

Marlene grabbed Lily's drink and sipped it. "Weren't surprised by my sneak attack?"

Lily smirked and snatched her drink back, downing it."Of course not. 'Constant Vigilance' remember? Ready to go?" she asked, standing up.

"Always"

* * *

James strode across the street, pulling his coat tighter around him, trying to fight off the chilly bite of the night. He jogged up the steps and rapped sharply on the wooden door in front of him. Within seconds, the door swung open, revealing an elderly lady with sharp features.

"Ahh. Mr. Potter. Go straight down the corridor and enter the room on your left. Most of us are already here. We're just waiting for the stragglers." she said, aiming a pointed look his way, stepping aside to reveal a long corridor behind her.

"Thanks Minerva." He said, brushing past her as he walked down the corridor.

"It's McGonagall to you, Potter."

Pausing at the doorway, he ran a hand through his hair and sent a roguish grin her way. "Whatever you say, Minerva."

He laughed at her indignant expression and stepped into the meeting room. James pushed his way through the small crowd, scanning the room for his mates when his eyes fell upon the red haired girl and their eyes met across the room. He held her gaze for a moment, before looking away sharply. He has no desire to dwell on her right now. Upon locating Remus, Sirius and Peter at the edge of the room, he leaned against the wall next to them, shoving his hands in his pockets. They barely had time to greet each other when Albus Dumbledore, the head of the agency, cleared his throat and asked for everyone's attention.

"Welcome, all of you, thank you for coming on such short notice. As I am sure all of you are wondering why this impromptu meeting was called, I shall indulge you. Each and every one of you, I believe, is aware that we have been keeping an eye on entrepreneur, Tom Riddle, founder of insurance company, Voldemort Inc." he paused for a while, to gauge the reaction of the room.

"We have received many reports about insurance fraud and scams of his company over the past few months. We have reason to believe that he attacks his customers, so that in activating the insurance they have signed up for, he, and his company, receives a large share of the insurance money being dealt out. We have many agents working under aliases in close proximity to him, to discover and hopefully put a stop to his fraud."

"However, that is not the reason you were called here today. An old friend of mine, an alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, the creator of the "Philosopher's Stone", a priceless gem, has unfortunately signed up with Tom Riddle's company, to insure the gem. However, a _previously unstated_ clause in the contract has placed the stone in Mr. Riddle's possession. Nicolas has enlisted my help to recover and return the stone to him." Dumbledore shuffled through some papers in front of him.

"We are sending in a team to the residential area of Islington, where Tom Riddle's headquarters are. We know as well, that many of his right hand men also reside there. The team will compromise of six junior agents: two agents, pretending to be a young couple living together, another two agents to occupy jobs within Voldemort Inc Headquarters, an agent that will operate the technology aspect of the mission and another, final agent to help with the planning and relaying of information to me. The team has been handpicked by the Order committee, and while they are young, they have been deemed as highly capable." Dumbledore adjusted the half moon spectacles resting on his nose and proceeded to list the chosen agents.

"Peter Pettigrew, you will be the one who is to organize, plan and relay information to me, Remus Lupin, you, will be our tech support agent. Sirius Black. Marlene McKinnon. The two of you will seek jobs at Voldemort Inc. The final two agents, the undercover couple, shall we say, are Agent Potter and Agent Evans."

In a second, James found Lily's gaze, his hazel eyes and her green ones boring through each other. And in that instant, James knew they were thinking the same thing.

"Well, fuck."

* * *

**A/N: So? Whats the verdict? Also, forgot to mention earlier: This was originally supposed to be an M rated fic, but I've decided to make it a T rated fic, and i'll post the M outtakes if you are interested. Aaaaand... i promise, that if you didn't like this chapter, things will pick up pace in the next few. And pleeeeease i beg, let me know if you didn't understand anything, i'll explain it to you the best i can.**

***hugs***

**-Anj**


	2. Start Of Something New

**A/N: Second up! I've had some time on my hands, so i was able to work on it. I probably won't be as fast for the rest but I'll do my best. Thanks to all that reviewed or followed the story, you put a huge smile on my face. If I could hug you, I would! Just to reply to your reviews:**

_**torik: thanks! i hope i keep the 'interesting-ness' alive. (:  
MSupernatural: thanks! 3 yes, it is a muggle AU.  
DreamHawthorn: also thanks. (: haha. not so much laughter in this chapter but for the next chapter, i'm going for a kind of light-heartedness. and jily trouble? *shrugs and avoids eye contact*  
marylin06: thank you! this chapter IS longer than the last - almost double!**_

**Thanks to BlondeLunaa, cubsgirl101, torik, MSupernatural, and marylin06 for following.**

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! You can follow me on tumblr (cinnamoncoffeecharms) if you want updates on my fanfiction, or if you wanna pop by and ask a question.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling's characters, not mine. ):**

* * *

It was a little after 11 by the time the other Order members had left. Lily was sitting in the little kitchen with the other selected team members. They had been asked to stay a little longer so that Dumbledore could brief them in detail about their mission. Lily resolutely ignored the others chatter and stared at her steaming cup of coffee. She was still wrapping her head around the whole affair.

It was a huge compliment that the senior committee had deemed her capable of such an important mission and Lily knew that she jolly well deserved it. She had put in great efforts to be a stellar agent, and to get selected for this mission felt like a victory of some sort for her. But why? Why, in heavens name, did she have to be partnered with James Potter? _James Potter_! For goodness sakes. Everything about him infuriated her, from his pretentious stance right down to the last black hair on his head. Hell! Bloody hell! Now she had to pretend to be in love with him let alone live with him! Lily expelled a long, huffy breath and collected herself. She glanced up from her coffee and saw Dumbledore finish his hushed conversation with McGonagall by the door and approach the kitchen table where the team was seated. Well, except for James. He was slouched on the kitchen counter, his head resting on the above cabinets, a bored, measured expression on his features. Git.

"Very well," Dumbledore began. "Let me go into detail about your 'job description' in this mission."

"Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Lupin, we shall begin with the both of you. You will be staying together, in a small house just outside of Islington. It is no more than ten minutes away from where Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans will be staying. It would be very much preferred that you begin setting up in your new residences as early as tomorrow. Alright?" Upon receiving confirmation from both of them, he addressed Remus.

"As the technology correspondent, shall we call you the 'techie'? It is much less of a mouthful after all." Dumbledore smiled a half smile, his eyes twinkling behind his spectacles.

"As the techie, you will be expected to do the following; set up means of communication with James and Lily, both within the house premises and externally as well; set up communication with Ms. Marlene and Mr. Black; gain complete access to surveillance footage of Voldemort Inc. - I want us to always have eyes on everything; also, gain access to all electronic devices within the headquarters; lastly, keep in touch with other agents at all times, I need you to be prepared to send in a back up team at any possible moment."

"I realize I am asking a lot of you, and you will be given sufficient time to accomplish these things. I am utterly confident that you will be able to handle the stated tasks. I need you, all of you, to realize the magnitude of the situation before you. Riddle is a ruthless man. If he finds out that you are undercover agents, even if he merely suspects that you have an ulterior motive, he will seek to have you eliminated."

Lily took a moment to let his words sink in, swallowed hard and shook of her nerves. Nerves were not acceptable in her line of work and she was sure as hell not going to let them affect her in any way possible. If Lily Evans was anything, she was determined.

"Mr. Pettigrew, as I have already mentioned, you will keep in contact with me. Every development must be immediately reported directly to me or to Minerva. "You will also be expected to assist with the planning of any infiltrations of Voldemort Inc. Safest way to enter, safest way to exit. Agents safety is the top most priority."

"Mr. Black and Ms. McKinnon," Dumbledore turned to face Sirius and Marlene, "Both of you have very similar job descriptions. You are expected to case the building. Find out where each room is and what is located in each of those rooms. Also, get to know the people, find out who is working for Riddle. Identify the friends and foes. Keep in mind that first appearances can be deceiving. "

"Mr. Black, you will be working with the delivery company, Hufflepuff. The company occupies the bottom two floors of Voldemort Inc. Pomona Sprout, another friend of mine, is well aware of Riddle's _methods_ of handling his business and has kindly offered you a spot in her company that will assist us greatly in keeping an eye on Riddle. Ms. McKinnon, you, however, have a slightly more dangerous post. You will be Tom Riddle's personal secretary."

Lily raised her eyebrows, showing no other sign of shock as she glanced at Marlene. Marlene smiled slightly and nodded, the initial shock having passed.

"Ms. Marlene, you will be expected to keep track of all the people entering and exiting Riddle's office, his associates, his workers. Also, you are expected to manage his timetable. Be aware of all events and meetings he has scheduled and relay information to Mr. Lupin. Do not worry about your safety, as I have said before, safety of agents is the highest if my priorities and I would sooner jump into a lion enclosure than let you come in the way of harm." Dumbledore smiled reassuringly at Marlene, putting any doubts that she may have had to rest.

"Alright then, the last two, James and Lily. Both of you are integral to this mission. You are at the highest risk. You will need to integrate yourself as a community member. We need you to be invited to the all the parties and all the lunches. You will be our main eyes and ears of this mission. When a task that is too risky to be done by Ms. McKinnon or Mr. Black, the two of you will substitute them. Is that clear? The whole community will have their eyes on you. Make sure that your cover is solid. I have no doubts that both of you are very well suited for the mission ahead. You also are expected to move into your new house as soon as tomorrow. Mr. Lupin will be awaiting you at his new residences and he will take you to your house. It is a fully furnished house, so all you will need, are your personal belongings."

"Good luck with your mission. Mr. Lupin, after giving all of them the address of where they might meet you tomorrow, please step into my study, so I may discuss some finer details of your job description with you. Goodnight to the rest of you. " Without waiting for a response, Dumbledore swept from the room.

"Wow." Sirius' voice cut through the silence that had ensued following Dumbledore's speech.

"It is a lot to digest. Now come look here." Remus had produced his tablet and was pulling up a picture of a map. "James, you too."

James came and crowded around the small table with the rest of them, accidentally knocking Lily's cup of coffee, which fell on her, staining her jeans. "Oooh. That's going to leave a stain. Sorry Lil. It was an accident."

Lily's head snapped up. "It's Evans to you Potter!" she said sharply, her tone threatening.

James' eyes flashed and he opened his mouth to retort, but Remus cut in,

"This is the address of where Peter and I will be staying. You can a take a train straight to Islington station and then a cab to our place. I'll see you all there tomorrow okay?"

"Yes Remus, that's fine. I'll see you tomorrow." With a quick squeeze of Marlene's hand, Lily left the building, finding it unbearable to stay a moment longer.

* * *

James watched the scenery zoom past as he made his way by train to Islington. He had a large suitcase and a duffel bag at his feet. No matter how hard he tried. His mind kept on wandering to Lily. Of all the god damned people he had to love – pretend to love – it had to be her. She really irked him. She and her air of assumed importance. She needed to get off her fucking high horse and … "Can I sit here?"

James looked up to see a tall blonde standing next to him. She was sipping at a water bottle, her blue eyes looking enquiringly at him. "Sure."

She slipped into the seat beside him, "Hi, I'm Joanna." She said offering him her hand.

"James."

"James," Joanna practically purred his name, "You going somewhere, James?" she said, indicating his bags with a hand.

Before James could answer, the train lurched, ever so slightly, causing Joanna to 'accidentally' spill the contents of her water bottle onto James' pants.

She let out a tinkling laugh, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry James! Don't worry, it won't leave a stain." She began to rub her hand on James' leg, a pretense of removing the liquid.

James removed her hand. "Its fine, and you're right, it won't stain."

The train began pulling into Islington station, "This is my stop. Nice meeting you Jo." James stood up, and grabbed his bags.

"Oh, but James, leave me your number, we should have coffee sometime."

James looked down at the flirtatious woman and seeing no harm, reached into his pocket. Finding the paper where Remus had hastily scribbled James' new house number, he handed it to Joanna. "Bye." He said stepping into the aisle.

* * *

"For heaven's sake Peter! Don't you have something a little stronger than tea?" Sirius strode around the kitchen opening all the empty cabinets before shutting them with a huff.

Marlene giggled. "Stop Sirius! They've only been here for a couple of hours. You mad bugger, what do you need alcohol for? Its barely lunchtime! Go find something to occupy yourself!"

"Like what dear? What could I possibly do in this house? There's practically nothing interesting."

"Well… you could…answer the door! Yes! Go! Don't keep her waiting!" Marlene was thankfully, saved by the ringing of the bell and Sirius was sent stomping out of the kitchen.

"Her?" James inquired of Marlene.

"Yeah, it's probably Lily."

Marlene's guess was confirmed by the laughing redhead that fell through the door, Sirius obviously having dragged her into the kitchen. She looked quite pretty, in her light purple sundress, her red tresses pulled into a ponytail.

"Thank God you're finally here Lily!" Sirius exclaimed, I was being driven to madness by these other fools.

Lily straightened up, taking in the room, her green eyes still sparkling from Sirius' boisterousness. Her eyes swept the room, taking in Peter, standing by the counter, pouring himself another cup of tea, Remus sitting at the tall dining table, multiple laptops open in front of him, Marlene, sitting on the opposite counter, swinging her legs lightly in front of her, and James, sitting on the floor, back against the wall, his arm resting on Marlene's feet. Her smile faltered ever so slightly and she did a surprising thing then, she moved across the room and plonked down next to him.

"Hello James. I… I'm… sorry. About snapping at you last night. We are going to be playing a couple after all, and well, I guess, it's not a problem if you call me Lily."

James smiled at her. "Alright, you're forgiven Lil."

"I wasn't asking for your 'forgiveness' and not _Lil. _Lily."

"Whatever you say Lil." James retorted, placing a hand on her thigh.

"LilY, and touch me like that again, and I'll beat your ass into pulp." Lily smiled back. Her voice was conversational and lilting, but James could hear the coolness behind it.

He casually removed his hand, his smile, all but vanished from his face, "I don't doubt that for a second."

There was a moment of silence, in which James and Lily stared at each other, his hazel eyes boring into her emerald ones.

Remus snapped a laptop shut. "Okay. Lets go. Sorry about the wait, I just needed to activate a few things so that I can show you how they work."

James stood up, reaching out and helping Lily to her feet as well. "Keys, Remus! I'll drive."

Remus flung the car keys to him but before he could catch them, Lily grabbed them mid air and began walking to the door. "Fat chance! I'm driving."

* * *

Lily gasped slightly as she stepped over the threshold into her new house. It was certainly beautiful. The floors were paneled with wood, the walls a soft creamy white. Dark wooden beams lined the ceiling, adding to the overall effect. To her left was the study and to her right was the staircase and the living room which was connected to the dining room and kitchen. If she walked straight, she would exit into the wide backyard. It was all very gorgeous.

"Lily? Lily? Come on." Remus and James were both standing at the study door, James smirking at Lily's awe.

Lily hurried to join them. "Sorry Remus, what were you saying?"

"This is your ear bug;" he said, handing Lily the small device. "Using it will keep you in communication with all 5 of us. You can remove it when necessary. Showers, Bedtime. I will have other mean of communicating with you in an emergency. There's an automated alarm system, I'll set it off when I believe you are at risk. The bottom drawer of the desk there has a whole bunch of disguises for you to use." Remus said, pointing to the desk in the study.

"Also, there's a camera on the mantelpiece in the living room, there's a silver apple there, turn in over, press the bottom in, and we'll be able to see each other. Lily, here, wear this at all times, it has a mini camera, as well as a tracking device attached to it."

He handed her a long box, and when she lifted the lid, her breath caught for the second time. Inside was a silver necklace with a single pendant – a lily petal. "Gorgeous. Great choice Remus."

"Oh. I didn't…" Remus began to speak, but James cut him off with a pointed look.

"What about me Remus? Where's my necklace?"

Remus wiped the amused expression from his face, "Your watch. The one I gave you this morning. That's the equivalent of Lily's necklace. Okay. Last few details. We need a safe word. When you believe that you are at risk, say this word, and I'll send in a back up team."

"Fruit? Banana? Green Bag? Pillow?" James began spewing random nonsense.

"Gryffindor." Lily's tone was firm and decisive. "That'll be our safe word."

"How'd you think of that?" Remus asked.

Lily held up a red and gold book that she found while perusing the books in the study. "Gryffindor." She repeated.

"That's settled then. I've got to go now. One last thing – Dumbledore suggested that the two of you throw a party. Something like a house warming thing, get to know your neighbours and all yeah?" Remus slipped his ear bug in his ear, "Keep in touch," with a final wink, he swept from the study and out of the house.

Lily swiveled around to face James. "A party? We can manage that right?"

"Of course. Shall we go check out the second floor?" James began making his way out of the room, obviously aware of the awkwardness that had settled between the both of them.

"James!" Lily's voice called him back in, "Help me fasten the necklace? I can't do it myself."

She passed the necklace to James and turned around, so that he could fasten it. She pulled her hair to the side just as James slipped the necklace around her neck. The fine hairs on Lily's neck stood as James' knuckles grazed her skin. " Thanks."

James nodded, his expression carefully neutral, and left the room.

* * *

**A/N: So? What'd you think? Let me know! Thanks for reading. Review and make my day! 3**


	3. Finding New Grounds

**A/N: Hey all! I'm so sorry that I took so long to post this chapter! I've been super busy! I hope you like this chapter. Its mostly just a chapter to introduce more characters from the HPverse and also to show the changing dynamics between James and Lily.  
****MSupernatural (special shout out! Thank you sweetheart!) pointed out that she felt that Lily was too overpowering. Did you all get this vibe as well? Please let me know. I'll try and explain where I was coming from to you, like I did for her. Thanks to all who reviewed or followed or favourited the story. I always smile when i get those notifications.**

_**DreamHawthorn: Thank you dear! That's so sweet. Here's the next chapter! :*  
H**__**uflepuff girl14: Haha. Thanks. (:  
MSupernatural: Thank you very much for pointing this out! Please leave more reviews on what you think! 3**_

**Thanks to _dizuz, DreamHawthorn, huflepuff girl14, Caroline Evans Potter, XMisfitLeaderX and BatDoo_** **for following.**

**I post about my writing schedule on tumblr (cinnamoncoffeecharms)if you wanna check it out. (:**

**Also, I did the final edit and posting of this chapter quite late at night, sorry if there are any mistakes! **

**Disclaimer: Anything resembling HP belongs to Queen JK. I just simply play with them. (wink wink)**

* * *

James threw the door open with a bang and took two steps towards Lily's bed. With one sharp tug, he yanked her warm blanket off her body.

"Get your BLOODY ASS out of bed!" He turned and marched out the door, smirking slightly as he pulled his shirt over his head.

He had barely reached the kitchen counter when he heard her thundering down the stairs.

"What the flying FUCK James?" Lily exclaimed, her hand waving wildly at the staircase.

"If YOU can't be responsible enough to wake YOURSELF up in the morning…" James leaned over the counter, one finger jabbing accusatorily in Lily's direction.

"Couldn't YOU at least wake me like a decent human being?" she shot back.

It was a little hard to be annoyed with her, when she was standing in front of him, in nothing but a large shirt, her hair sticking up at weird angles and bright green flames in her eyes. But just a little.

"Well, little miss bossy, you can't have your cake and eat it!"

"Are you always this much of an asshole? Or is it just in the mornings?" Lily stopped yelling, her voice low yet cutting.

Something in him flamed up and James was out from behind the counter in a flash. He towered over her, inches apart, his dark brown eyes flashing dangerously.

"Don't call me an asshole." He said, his tone deadly. He knew that she only meant it as an insult, but she had hit a little too close to home.

"Well, don't call ME bossy!" Lily raised her voice again, standing on her tiptoes to glare at James. James knew that he had hit a nerve too but he was sure as hell not going to back down first.

There was a minute of silence in the kitchen, both Lily and James standing up against each other, breathing heavily from their heated argument.

His head was reeling, half of him wanted to hit her but the other half of him…

Lily turned away first, fisting her hands in her hair. "Urgghhh! I wish I could just slam you against a wall and ch…"

"Most women want to, some of them do." Recovering from his loss of control, James leaned back against the counter, picking up his cup of coffee. He sent a devilish grin in Lily's direction.

She spun around, her eyes widening slightly as his words sunk in. Before he knew it, she was biting down on her lip, her eyebrows furrowed. She finally gave in and let the small smile creep across her face.

Whatever remainder fight that she or he, for that matter, might have had was definitely gone now.

"Git."

"Go get ready, we're supposed to meet the neighbours today." He replied, idly flipping the opened newspaper, his mind everywhere but the news.

She finally left the kitchen, but before he could even release the breath he had been holding, her smiling voice rang down the steps, "Just you wait Potter. I can ruffle your feathers just as well".

Much as he resisted, James grinned at her threat, a low sensation stirring in his stomach.

* * *

"Where do you want to start?" Lily put her sunglasses on and brushed some stray hairs off her face.

James shut the door behind him, slipping on a shoe as he walked up to Lily. "Go down our row and come back up the opposite."

He reached out and tugged on Lily's necklace, pulling it out from her shirt. "Remus needs to identify our neighbours."

After a moment of silence, Lily smiled at James, a little sly smile, which made James wonder what exactly she was up to. "Let's go then. I'm starting to want lunch already."

They crossed their lawn and up their neighbour's driveway. She knocked on the door and pattering footsteps approached the door.

Lily knew she had to move quickly, and right on time, so that James couldn't question her about it. Just as the door swung open, she slipped her hand into the back pocket of James' jeans and squeezed. He tensed immediately, and Lily let a little snort of laughter escape her at the sight of his face.

A little, old lady stood at the doorway. Lily saw her take in James' stricken expression and her own grin and watched as the woman's brow furrowed slightly.

"Hello! I'm Lily, this is James. We've just moved in next door." Lily smiled warmly at the plump lady in front of her, selling her cover easily and doing her best to not focus on how nice James' behind felt in her palm.

"Oh, yes! I saw you both come. I'm Gwinnie." She scrunched up her nose as she introduced herself in a conspiratory whisper and Lily couldn't help but think of her mother, who would often do the very same thing.

She bit back the sad smile and waited as Gwinnie leaned back into the house and hollered down the corridor, "RUTH! RUTH! COME MEET OUR NEW NEIGHBOURS! RUTH!"

"I'm coming Gwinnie. Must you yell?" Another elderly woman approached the door, her irritated voice preceding her. She was the very opposite of Gwinnie. Ruth was tall and thin, much resembling the cigarette held between her knobbly fingers.

She puffed out a smoky breath and cracked a wry, half-hearted, smile at James and Lily. "Welcome to the neighbourhood," she said dryly, "Now, what do you want from us?"

"Ruth!" Gwinnie tutted disapprovingly. "What can we do for you, sweetie? Would you like to come in?"

"We're playing scrabble. Fun." Ruth's voice clearly indicated that scrabble was the least fun thing that she could imagine.

"And tea! Join us?" Gwinnie reached out and rubbed Lily's arm and at the gesture, Lily moved slightly towards Gwinnie, pulling way from James.

Gwinnie's eyes flickered to Lily's outstretched arm, disappearing behind James' back, and her eyes twinkled with amusement. "OHHO! Ruth! We have ourselves some lovebirds." She shook her head from side to side, grinning.

Reaching out, she placed a hand on James' chest. "Well, I can see why you like him, sweetpea. He's quite fit. And rather good looking too." Lily laughed as James flushed, wondering to herself why she found it so adorable.

Gwinnie and Ruth seemed harmless, and her gut instinct, which was normally right, was to like and trust them. But she could never be too sure.

James' voice cut through her thoughts. " We're throwing a house warming party. Friday evening. Inviting all the neighbours. We'd love for you to come."

"Of course, dear. All the neighbours, you say?" she shared a quick look with Ruth, which did not go unnoticed by the two agents.

"Why? What's wrong?" Lily prodded ever so slightly, hoping that the old ladies might mention something of use.

"There are just some _suspicious_ characters living here. But you'll see. Come Gwinnie! Our scrabble awaits."

As soon as Lily heard the door shut behind them, she turned to James.

"Good start?" he asked

"Yeah. I think so. Let's go."

They had only walked a few steps when Lily felt James shove her slightly.

"OI! What was with the butt grabbing?" The corner of his mouth quirked up despite him trying to suppress the smile.

In response, Lily shot back a half smile and waggled her eyebrows at him.

"I see what you're doing. This is war Evans." James jogged up the steps to the next house, Lily close behind, laughing.

A man with long, straggly hair, clad in a bright purple and yellow outfit answered the door.

Before Lily could say anything, James spoke. "Hello", he extended a hand, "I'm James, this is LIL."

Prat. Lily clenched her jaw and forced a smile. "We've just moved into the neighbourhood."

The man looked at James' outstretched arm but didn't move to shake it. "Lil. Does that stand for large-ion-lithophile elements? Lil. What an odd name. I'm Xenophilius. Xenophilius Lovegood." He hummed a small tune before speaking again; "Beautiful sky isn't it? If only it wasn't so… blue. Well, maybe the crumpled horn snorkack will make an appearance. It rarely does in winter."

Lily and James both stared at the man in front of them, their mouths agape. James head snapped down to look at her, a questioning look in his eye. Lily mouthed back 'I don't know' just as a rich laugh rang from the house.

"Oh Xen! Stop confusing them. Hi. I'm Meredith. Sorry about my husband. He's mad. But I love him dearly." It was clear to Lily that the woman did love him, her voice was soft and tender when she spoke of him and her silvery blue eyes sparkled with warmth. "You must be our new neighbours? Can I do something for you?"

"James. And Lil"

"LilY" she said through gritted teeth. Man was the git ever going to stop? "We're having a party on Friday. We'd love for you to join us."

The blonde woman beamed. "Oh that's wonderful! Xen and I will be there."

"Thank you!" James and Lily turned and made their way down the porch steps, moving to the next house.

* * *

Lily was walking ahead of him to the next house. The house was clearly uncared for, the porch covered with a layer of dust and the grass slightly overgrown. Lily knocked on the door as James came up behind her.

The door opened to reveal a young man with black, shoulder-length hair, and eyes resembling coals. The hair on the back of James' neck rose, a warning sign that was almost always accurate. James stepped closer to Lily.

"Hello. My name is Lily Evans." Lily began speaking, but James hardly thought that the man was listening.

His black eyes were raking over Lily's delicate features and down her attractive figure, slowly and greedily. James felt an unpleasant burning sensation roaring in his stomach. He lifted his arms and brought them around Lily's waist, pulling her back against him.

She squealed, then giggled, her vanilla scent encompassing James' senses. "This is James, my boyfriend." James felt a little squirm of delight at her words, but brushed it off.

The man's eyes snapped up, as though seeing James for the first time. "Boyfriend." He spoke slowly, breaking the words apart, contempt flaring in his eyes.

"Yes. Boyfriend." James spoke definitively, delivering the point across. "We're living together, just moved in a couple of houses down."

"We're having a party on Friday. You'll come? Mr…?" Lily left the question hanging.

"Snape and I'll see." With one last longing look at Lily, he slammed the door shut.

"What a creep." Lily said shaking herself as she moved down the pavement. "I still can feel his eyes on me. Urgh. And you! Someone getting a little handsy yeah?"

James smirked, as they strode across the street. "Just doing my job well, Lil."

"Goddammit James! LILY!" She smiled though, and took his larger hand in hers, tugging him up the steps of the next house.

She rang the bell of the house and James flexed his fingers holding Lily's hand. He had held many girls hands before, and it puzzled James why this time it felt so intimate. He had had to already check himself multiple times through the day, reminding himself that she – both of them – were just playing a part. It was purely show.

A blonde woman opened the door. She was the very picture of poise. "Oh God." She spoke in a drawl. "I've told you a hundred times. We're not interested in_ anything _that_ any of you _have to sell_._" She began to shut the door, but Lily reached out a hand and stopped the door from shutting.

"No. We're not sales people. I'm Lily and this is Jamie."

Fuck. Did she just do that?

"Oh no. Missionaries?" the woman sounded exasperated by their mere presence.

"We're your new neighbours. Not sales people. And not missionaries either." Lily interjected.

"We're throwing a party. Our house, on Friday evening. We came to invite you and your family." James lifted a hand to point at their house down the street.

"Ohhh. I see. Well. If I have nothing better to do."

The door swung shut. James let out a huff. "Narcissa Malfoy."

"Hmm?" Lily was still staring at an emblem on the door.

"Narcissa Malfoy. That's her name." He indicated a small template by the doorbell.

"Come on. This morning's taking a turn for the worst."

They both made their way to the next house, unaware of their still intertwined hands.

* * *

Lily was getting increasingly frustrated. She had already rung the bell repeatedly, knocked multiple times and called out. When was door going to open? She knew there was someone inside. She could hear footsteps and music playing. She raised a hand to knock again, when the door opened. A beautiful young woman with crazed eyes and slightly crazed hair stood before them, a completely bored expression on her face. "Stop ringing. I don't care." And she shut the door with a bang.

Lily bit down on her lip and James squeezed her hand. She didn't quite understand it, but for someone whom she disliked so much, she found the warmth of his palm enveloping her oddly comforting.

* * *

The door of the next house was opened by a young ginger boy. He must have been 6 or 7. "Mum's really busy. Baby Fred has made a mess, Baby George is making another, Percy is crying, and Charlie is ruining Dad's peonies." The young boy rushed through the last part of the sentence, taking a big breath.

"Oh really?", James knelt down, so that he was looking at the boy in the eye. "You alright mate?"

The boy nodded his reply and shot a toothy grin at James. He grinned back. The boy reminded him of a younger version of himself and he felt a rush of affection for the child in front of him.

"Okay then. I won't ask for your mom to come to the door. She sounds a bit busy. But can you do me a favour? Tell her that the new neighbours are having a party on Friday evening and want all of you to come, including Baby Fred and Baby George. Can you do that?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically, his face set with the responsibility of James' request.

"Thanks mate. You're a life saver. And if you ever want to escape your little brothers, ask your mom and you can come hang around for a while with your new friends, James and Lily. Okay? Bye mate."

James and Lily waited for the boy to disappear back into the house before they turned and walked over to the last house on their street.

While waiting for the door to be answered, James turned to Lily, cocking his head to the side. "I like that boy. He looks like a really good kid." Lily looked back at him, something indecipherable in her gaze and surprised James by sliding an arm around his waist.

The door swung open and a young man and woman stood in front of them. Both of them smiled warmly at James and Lily.

"Hello. We've just moved in across from you and we wanted to invite you over for a house warming party that we're having." James said, smiling back at them.

"I'm Lily and this is James. He seems to have forgotten to introduce us." Lily added. James smiled and laughed.

"Hi. Frank. My fiancée Alice." Frank reached out and clasped Alice's hand in his.

Alice smiled again. "Welcome to the neighbourhood. It'll be so nice to have another young couple around. When I was out earlier, I saw you stopping at some of the other houses, you could barely keep your hands of each other. It was adorable."

Lily blushed, and James ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Stop embarrassing them Alice! We'll be there. See you Friday." Frank shut the door, laughing at Alice's bluntness.

* * *

Back in their own house, Lily removed her own necklace and ear bug, then turned to James. "Lunch?"

"Oh God, yes please. I'm starving."

"Okay. I'll drive." Lily made to grab the car keys on the dining table but James was quicker.

"Ha! I don't think so." he sang as he stepped through the front door.

* * *

**A/N: How was it? Let me know guys! Your reviews keep me enthused about writing this story, so please drop in a word if you feel like it. Even if you just wanna chat, you can PM me or message me on tumblr, I'm pretty nice. (:**

**Have a great day!**


	4. Where Our Demons Hide

**A/N: So! I have apologies to send out to all of you. I think its been a month since I last updated and I'm very very sorry. Life's been very busy, what with college starting again and what not. But thank you to all of you who have patiently stuck out the wait and returned to read this story!  
Thank you for all your PMs and reviews! Also, I won't address last chapter's reviews here, because I really just want you to read the chapter. Unfortunately, I do have some semi-bad news! I'm working on a fic for the Jily Royalty Fest on tumblr and I will be participating in Jily Week (July 28th) on tumblr as well. If you want to check those out, the link to my tumblr is on my profile. So the next update will also be a slow one. Sorry again! But I am not abandoning this story! It'll just be slow progress for a while, what with JRF, Jily week and life in general. **

**One last thing: Remus' dialogue is in _Italics_ because he's not really there. Okay that's all. You rock guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"So. That was… interesting."

"To say the least."

James sat across from Lily in the small café. She leaned her head against the window. "Yeah. And we still have two more rows to go. What was Remus saying about tonight?"

James blinked, momentarily lost in the way Lily was biting her lip, but recovered fast enough to say, "He's, umm... going to run the facial scans of our neighbours through the database and see what comes up. He'll brief us tonight. "

Lily nodded, her hair bobbing softly with the gesture, and took a sip of her drink.

James took her silence as an opportunity to berate himself. Just a few weeks ago, he hadn't even been able to think about her without getting majorly annoyed, and now? Now he couldn't even look at her without noticing how endearing her lip biting habit was, or something else similar to that effect. It must just be the close proximity. Right? Yeah, it has to be.

Lily cleared her throat in an obvious manner, snapping him out of his reverie. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked, why did you react so strongly to being called an asshole? It was just another insult." she raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Well, I don't really want to talk..." he stopped mid sentence and stared into his coffee. That was what he always said when it came to this topic. To anyone who asked. Relatives, girlfriends, even the boys - at first. It was always true too. He _never_ wanted to talk about it. But for the first time, this was a lie. For the first time, James wanted to talk about it. Strangely, James finally wanted to talk about one of the most private things, which had haunted him for the longest time. And even stranger, he wanted to tell Lily. He wanted to tell this woman, who not two seconds ago, he detested. He wanted to tell her. So he did.

"When I was a child, around 4 or 5, my dad left. So my mom raised me. It was just the two of us against the world. Even at that age, I was glad he left. He was awful to mom. She was happier without him. Both of us were. And I loved her so much."

James stopped for a second, and furrowed his eyebrows, "I still do. But things started to change, I grew up, started working for the Order. Couldn't tell her though. Then I used to go on missions, and she would always ask where I was going, what was I doing, and now, in retrospect, I guess I handled it the wrong way. She was obviously concerned but I just used to brush her off, give excuses, snap back at her that it wasn't her business. Things got very strained. She was working a high tension job and so was I, and we weren't exactly a comfort for each other anymore. And one night, everything just kinda blew up, you know? There was a huge shouting match, and we were both pretty upset with each other. She said some horrible things and I said some pretty nasty stuff back and in her fury, she yelled at me that 'I was an asshole, just like my father'. And that hurt. More than anything she'd ever said before. I walked out, never went back. We didn't speak for ages. Months. Nearly years. But we've started again. We'll call each other. Once a week. Small talk really. Not much. But it's something at least." He looked up at Lily, who was biting her lip again. She looked slightly emotional.

She swallowed hard and pulled her hand away from his. They were holding hands? When did that happen? He looked up at her as she spoke. "I'm sorry James."

* * *

Lily pulled her hand away from James'.

Shit. She didn't even realize that she had reached out for his hand. She lifted her hand to brush her hair out of her face and hoped that James couldn't see how much her hands were trembling.

"I'm sorry James. If I had known that it was so personal, I wouldn't have asked."

Lily couldn't believe what James had told her. His face was a myriad of emotions as he spoke and Lily's heart went out to him. All she wanted to do was comfort him, and wipe his face from the pain she had seen there. She wanted to tell him, that she, too, knew the pain of losing a parent. She never had wanted to relive her childhood. Never wanted to talk about it. But now, now that James had revealed such a meaningful part of his life, she felt compelled to as well. But she knew, somewhere, deep down, she knew that she wasn't telling him because she was obliged to. She wasn't telling him because she had to. It wasn't an exchange program. She was telling him because she wanted to.

"I.. uh.. my parents died when I was just a kid. 8 or 9 maybe? They had gone out for an awards dinner and they met with an accident. I took it really hard, they were the only ones I really opened up to, the only ones that I was myself around, but Tuney took it harder, she just broke. We moved in with our aunt, but she was useless. Only interested in the insurance money that came with us. So, I had to grow up and take care of Tuney and myself. I became really independent and I just shut off my emotions from anyone else. I couldn't be vulnerable, I had to be Petunia's rock. And some people were horrible to me, they called me bossy and bitchy, just because I was independent. It was hard at first, but then it just became my default. But there's not… not a day." Lily broke off, and barely choked back a sob. "That I don't miss both of them." Lily's voice was nothing more than a broken whisper and the tears were flowing down her cheeks.

She clenched her jaw to prevent it from shaking and with a start, Lily realized that this was the first time since her parent's death that she had opened up to someone. She needed to get away. Where was all her composure?

She stood up quickly, her whole body trembling, "I… I have to go. I shouldn't have…" she turned away from their table, but James caught her wrist.

She spun around and locked eyes with him. He was glaring at her, his hazel eyes so intense, that she felt like it was burning her. "Don't. Don't close up again."

Lily swallowed hard but she moved when he tugged her wrist gently and sat down next to him. James moved his hand down to cover her own, and after a beat, Lily turned her hand and interlaced her fingers with his. They both sat like that, fingers caressing each other soothingly, until they both felt better.

* * *

Sirius huffed as he heaved the last box into the Hufflepuff delivery van. He stomped into the building and climbed up the stairs.

"Alright. Remus. I'm done for the day. What did you want me to do?"

_"Go find Marlene. She's waiting for you in Room 204, twelfth floor."_

"Shit man. It had to be the twelfth floor didn't it?" Sirius swore under his breath as he raced up the steps.

Upon reaching the twelfth floor, he moved swiftly through the corridors to Room 204. Making sure that no one was looking, he slipped into the room, locking the door behind him.

He turned, expecting to find Marlene, but he only found a brunette wearing cat eye spectacles looking at him.

"Oh." Shit. Hadn't Remus told him Room 204? Maybe Marlene had left. "Sorry. Wrong room." He began backing out, but the brunette called out to him.

"Sirius! It's me, Marlene, you dolt!"

Sirius moved towards her, guided by Remus' laughter in his ear and the brunette's smirk.

"Can't believe you didn't recognize me." Marlene laughed at him.

"You're in DISGUISE. I'm not supposed to." Sirius shot back. "Really good job, by the way. You look nothing like your hideous self." He smiled winsomely at her and was rewarded with a shirt being thrown at his face which he deftly caught. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Put it on. And this wig too." Marlene flung a brown wig at him as well. "Tell him the plan, Remus."

"_So far, I've been able to access security footage for floors 1 to 11. Floor 12 is where I got stuck. 5 of the rooms on this floor, I have no access to. Tried to hack into the computer databases, the surveillance footage, mobile devices, but I couldn't identify what was inside the rooms."_

Sirius pulled the shirt over his head. "What are the room numbers?"

_"214, 215, 216, 217, 218. Marls has already checked rooms 217 and 218 though. Just empty office rooms. No sign of the stone. Peter said the last three are down the left, at the end of the main corridor. Marlene thinks that there could be guards patrolling there. That's why we needed you."_

Sirius adjusted the wig on his head, "Alright. I'm ready to go."

Marlene and he ducked out the door, walking fast past the other rooms until they reached the end of the corridor. Marlene slipped left, and Sirius followed suit. The corridor was darker than the others and his hackles rose. Marlene, reaching room 216, looked left and right, before pulling out a small metal contraption. She pressed it against the door, and using a little holder, pulled it in a small circle. Sirius checked the corridor for people again before looking back at Marlene, crouched at the door.

The circle flickered, then an image of the room inside formed in the circle. Marlene and Sirius watched as an elderly man sighed, put on his glasses and stared back at the computer screen. Nothing looked suspicious, and there was no sign that the stone was stored in there. He jerked his head further down the corridor and Marlene removed the device and moved on to room 215.

She repeated the process with the device and Sirius crouched down beside her as the scene unfolded before their eyes. A young woman reached out to a man around the same age and grabbed his tie, pulling him close to her. He bent his head and kissed her aggressively, backing her up against the desk. Marlene turned to find Sirius grinning foolishly at her, silent chuckles escaping at the astonished look on Marlene's face. Before they could see any more, Marlene yanked off the device and began her way to room 214, Sirius following behind, highly amused by Marlene's reaction. "Marls, your face! Utter shock!"

She turned and scowled at him, "You be quiet. Who does that anyway? It's an office! Anyone could walk in!"

"They were only _kissing_ Marls."

"Yeah. Sure. Nothing else was going to happen." She scoffed at Sirius as they reached room 214. She repeated the process with the device and they waited as the screen blurred in front of them to reveal a large room stacked with rows and rows of filing cabinets.

"Documents." Sirius said. "They must be. Any importance?" He glanced at Marlene.

"They could be proof of his insurance scams." She replied. "I think we should take a look. Now?"

"I don't see why not. I can just…" before Sirius could finish his sentence, Marlene had pulled him into the broom cupboard directly opposite the room.

"Somebody was coming!" she spoke in a urgent whisper, immediately silencing any jokes Sirius had been ready to make about them being in a broom cupboard. "I left the device."

Sirius eyes widened as he heard someone step out of room 214. The person – a man – let out a sound of anger, and Sirius could hear the device being pulled off the door. The heavy footsteps were rapidly approaching the broom cupboard, and he quickly pushed Marlene behind him as the door swung open.

Sirius did a quick estimate of the man in front of him and immediately threw a punch. The man grabbed Sirius by the collar and brought him close to his face. Sirius couldn't help but smirk slightly. Obviously the man before him was all brawn and no brain. The man had reeled his arm back, ready to punch Sirius in the face, but before he could do that, Sirius threw his head forward, head butting the man with such force that he staggered back and slumped against the door of room 214, clutching his nose. Sirius stepped forward and sending a swift kick across his face, rendered him unconscious.

Marlene stepped forward and quickly removed the device from the man's meaty paws. She stood up and took Sirius' hand, pulling him after her as she raced down the corridor. Stopping at room 204, she and Sirius both pulled off their disguises, stuffing them into a duffel bag.

"Come on Sirius. We've got to get off this floor. The man had set off the silent alarm. That's why we have to go. Stat."

Sirius nodded, leading the way to the stairwell. Close behind him, he could hear Marlene speaking to Remus.

"Yes. Yes Remus. Room 214. It's obviously being guarded, there's something of worth in there. No. It's too risky for Sirius and I to do it. If they find out, we're highly likely to be exposed, people here know our faces. We'll be killed in an instant." Marlene raced down the staircase next to Sirius. "James and Lily will have to take this one."

* * *

**A/N: Cookies to anyone who gets the significance of Room 214. (Hint: Its in the numbers). Hugs for finishing the chapter! Lemme know how you feel about it.**


	5. Love Thy Neighbour

**A/N: Chapterrrrrrrrrrrrr 5! It's a short one. Sorry. :/ Thank you all for your reviews. You're wonderful. Its really you guys, that keep me writing, and I'm always over the moon when I get a review/follow/favourite alert! So, without further delay, I present Chapter 5!**

**Disclaimer: Not my characters. :(**

* * *

"I don't trust them." Bellatrix muttered boredly.

"You don't trust anyone Bella." Her sister snapped back. "Lucius, what do you think?"

Lucius Malfoy raised his chin and scrutinized the mingling couple. "I don't think that they are any danger, they seem relatively normal. But, keep them close. Like Bella, Severus doesn't trust them. So we'll keep an eye on them Cissy."

Narcissa Malfoy huffed and her gaze following the redhead and her boyfriend as they talked to the Weasleys. "Where is Severus anyway?"

"He had … something to do?" Lucius sneered. " We'll see soon enough if 'James and Lily' are friend or foe."

* * *

"I'm so sorry. He refused to take his nap this afternoon. It's no wonder that he's bawling his eyes out." Molly Weasley stood in front of James, a baby boy, Fred, in her arms, apologizing repeatedly. Lily knelt next to James, talking animatedly to Bill, Charlie and Percy.

"Here. Looks like you need a break. Get a drink, go see how Arthur and George are doing. I've got Fred till then." James extended his arms to Molly, and she placed baby Fred in them, shooting James a grateful look.

Fred wailed in James' arms and James bobbed him lightly. "You're a horrible little baby aren't you? You're not sleepy. You just want your mummy to cuddle you, isn't it?" Fred gurgled in his arms, but stopped crying, beaming at James suddenly. James smiled back. "Little prat." He glanced down to see Bill, Charlie and Percy looking at him dumbstruck, and Lily also looking at him, but with an unidentifiable emotion in her eyes.

She winked at him and stood, catching Percy's toddler hand in her own. "Come on, let's go see what George is up to!" she announced, walking over to where Arthur stood with Meredith and Xenophilius Lovegood.

* * *

"I write the newsletter for the neighbourhood. I normally do a feature on new residents. So, answer these questions." the blonde woman with bedazzled cat eye spectacles stared James and Lily down, speaking in a brash manner.

Lily was bemused by her behavior, and raised her eyebrows, while James seemed somewhat affronted by her tone. He opened his mouth to say something, but Rita Skeeter cut him off. "Where did you live before you moved here?"

James' tone was sharp as he answered curtly, "Stratford."

Lily unconsciously twined her fingers with his, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Ms. Skeeter.

"You are very touchy with one another. I've noticed you can barely keep your hands to yourselves." She remarked scribbling something on her notepad.

"What are you writing?" Lily asked suspiciously, extricating her hand from James, a blush tainting her cheeks.

"Nothing, nothing." Rita waved her hand dismissively, a small smile forming across her red lips. "What's your idea of a perfect Saturday?"

Lily answered easily, "Oh. Spending the whole day in bed. That'd be lovely."

Rita scribbled down her answer. "I saw the movers come. There was a large bed being brought in. Any comments about that?"

James furrowed his eyebrows at her. "I don't see how that it is relevant. Why would I have a comment on that? There were also tables and armchairs. What's your point?"

"Touchy on the subject are we?" she said scribbling furiously.

James looked down at Lily, his face painted with utter bewilderment. She shrugged her shoulders in response.

"How about pets? Do you have any?" Rita posed yet another question.

"No. We're a very busy couple. We don't really have much time to care for a pet just yet."

"Hmmm." Rita jotted things down at an amazing pace. She quite liked the direction of the interview. She'd have a stellar piece tomorrow.

* * *

Alice leaned against her husband's shoulder. "I like them. They remind me of us."

Frank looked up at the young couple. "Hmm… exactly like us? With the same jobs as us?" he smirked down at Alice.

Alice looked around quickly. "Shut up, prat! Someone could hear us."

Frank made a face at her. "Ngeh."

Alice took his hand. "They do though. They're so in love with each other. Just look at the way they glance at each other when the other is not looking. And the way they touch each other in small ways. It's like they can't go for more than a few minutes without each other."

"They don't seem to be touching each other now."

"Oh, you wait. They will."

Frank and Alice both leaned forward, eyes on James and Lily. After a minute, James' hand swooped to the small of Lily's back, resting there. Alice smirked and leaned back in her chair, smiling victoriously at Frank.

"Wow. You're right. No surprise there, of course." He draped an arm around her shoulders just as James and Lily began approaching their table, hand in hand.

"Thanks so much for coming!" Lily announced, reaching them.

"Ahh. We're having fun. It's our pleasure. Ally and I were going to try this new pie place in town, sometime this week. Join us?"

"That'd be…perfect." James agreed after looking down at Lily for confirmation. "Just let us know when."

James and Lily both sat down at their table, James swinging an arm over Lily's chair. She gently placed a hand on his thigh and James swallowed hard at the contact. It was becoming increasingly difficult to do his job. Everytime she smiled at him, his heart leapt, his palms becoming sweaty. When they stood close to each other, her scent of lilacs would assault his senses, making it impossible for him to think. Touching her was amazing, the feel of her skin under his fingertips would send jolts of electricity through him. It was killing him, absolutely killing him, that once the job was done, he would never be able to do these things again. He placed his hand on Lily's bare shoulder and pushed his feelings to the back of his mind.

Frank's voice faded away as Lily became acutely aware of James' hand on her shoulder. This was becoming unbearable. She didn't know what had happened to her. She could feel the heat radiating off him, and she longed to move a little closer, and sink into him. But she couldn't. What they were doing, that was work. Her feelings were irrelevant. She needed to keep herself together. She had to. If she dare believe that their relationship wasn't purely staged for the mission, she would get hurt. And the last thing she wanted was to be hurt again. Especially by James.

* * *

Remus stood in the center of his living room, watching the party progress. He had implanted microphones in the garden, and he was listening to the individual conversations. There was nothing suspicious, the Malfoy's aside. Two old ladies were chattering about James and Lily.

"Oh Ruth. Look at them!" one of them, Gwinnie, said.

"Hmm." Ruth grunted in response, scowling.

"Stop being in such a bad mood. They're so in love, it's so refreshing to see. You used to be like that too, you know."

Ruth shoved Gwinnie, the scowl still ever-present, but her mouth turning upwards slightly. She opened her mouth to retort, but Remus switched the camera to focus on James and Lily, who were talking to the Longbottoms. He furrowed his eyebrows at them. Gwinnie seemed to be right. They did look infatuated with each other. Whatever was happening between them, it wasn't his business. But he sure as hell wished that it would work out. He switched footage, going through the surveillance cameras. He flipped from the kitchen, to the living room, then to the study, where he froze. Someone was there. Immediately he connected his earpiece, where he connected to James and said in an urgent voice. "Severus Snape is snooping in the study."

* * *

**A/N: oooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh. what now? thanks for reading guys! you rock! I think I can get chapter 6 up soon, but that's gonna be short too. Sorry again, but it has to happen. Meanwhile, you should be prepping for chapter 7!. I'm so excited about it. Eek! If you feel like it, come request drabbles from me on tumblr. It's good practice.**

**Feed the review monster please! 3**


	6. Snooping Leads To Euphemisms

**A/N: Holy moly! An update in THREE days! That's gotta be a one is short too, but, again, had to be done. Also, since I didn't mention it in the last chapter, Room 214 is significant cause 2+1+4 = 7 which is the most powerful magic number. Bah - I know it's lame. (: This chapter was so much fun to write, I hope you like it! Please excuse any errors, I really wanted this up today, so I may have overlooked some.**

**_MSupernatural, DreamHawthorne, Lovewriting12_: Thank you!  
_EveryonesFavoriteVampireBarbie_: Haha! Thank you so much! Also, yes is does sound like a game of clue, I just realised! (:  
_Mrs. Killian Jones Pureblood_: Thank you! That means the WORLD to me! If you've read my other stories/drabbles, you'll see that I like to stick in Blackinnon where I can, but maybe not in this one, but we'll see! If you have a blackinnon request/prompt, feel free to send me an ask on tumblr. I'll look forward to it! (; just remember to leave your name/url at the bottom so i know it's you! (link to tumblr on my profile)  
**

**Disclaimer: Belongs to JK Rowling, Queen of Life. **

* * *

James and Lily both froze at Remus' words. Lily didn't let the façade slip though. She laughed at Alice's story and James, too smiled at the anecdote. "I'm sorry, I just need to pop into the house for something? I'll be right back." James left the table quickly, leaving Lily with a pointed look. He weaved through the crowd of neighbours, stopping momentarily to pass greetings. In the house, he quickly moved to the study and opened the door slowly, coming face to face with Severus Snape. James met Snape's hard, cold gaze with one of his own. James angrily shot at him, surprise shooting through his voice. "Hey! What're you doing in here? This is massively inappropriate Severus."

Snape's eyes flashed with anger. "It's Snape to you." He sneered maliciously. "What is this, James? If that is your name at all?" James watched as Snape raised his hand, holding up a blonde wig.

* * *

"What do you mean 'if that's my name at all'? Are you daft? Of course my name's James." James lip curled in anger. "And, _that, _is between me and Lily. It's none of your concern."

Snape advanced on James, wig still in hand. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at James. "How did you know I was in here, Potter?"

"You are here, in _my _house, invading _my_ privacy, and you dare question me?" James took a step towards Snape, and as if on queue, Lily burst into the room.

"James?" Her eyes darted between him and Snape. "What's going on? I thought you came here for your book. Is everything okay?" Her eyes were wide with concern, and James thought it was a fine piece of acting on her part. He could see Snape's resolve fading. Suddenly, Lily's eyes darted to the wig clasped in Snape's fist and a magnificent blushed spread across her face. Boy, there was no denying it. Lily Evans was selling her part well. She walked forward and snatched the wig from Snape, wringing it in her hands, she backed up against James, averting her eyes from Snape's gaze. "Severus." James noted that the sallow man didn't correct _her_ from calling him Severus. "I'm sure you understand. When you're so infatuated with your lover, you're so keen to try new things, hence, the wig." James smirked over the top of Lily's head, bringing a hand to rest possessively on her hip. Snape glared at his hand, looking positively nauseated. Lily continued, causing Snape's look to worsen. "No one was supposed to know. It's a very private part of our life, you know. Could you excuse us now? I want a moment with James." Snape nodded and left the room rapidly.

Listening until his footsteps faded, Lily turned to face James, grinning. "That was fantastic." He said, looking at her. They were standing so close to each other, that James' breath caused her hair to flutter. Both became suddenly aware of their proximity and moved away from each other, blushing furiously.

"Remus. Just check if he's on to us?"

_"__Sure thing, Lily." _There was a beat of silence, as Lily and James waited for Remus' response. _"Nope. You're clear. He joined the Malfoy's and that Skeeter lady. When asked about what he found, he muttered something about sexual fetishes." _Remus chortled. _"Smooth cover. Nice going, both of you." _

Smiling and blushing slightly, James and Lily left the study.

* * *

Lily stood at the counter, sipping her coffee, the newspaper spread out in front of her. James lay on the couch, mindlessly flipping TV channels. Suddenly, an overwhelming thump was heard, rattling their front door, followed by a shrill shriek.

James bolted upright, head snapping to look at Lily, alarm flashing in both their eyes. In the second it took them to realize the presence of potential danger, Lily spun around, swiftly grabbing a knife from the rack. James, similarly, had reached under the coffee table, dislodging a spare gun kept there. With a quick nod in Lily's direction, they both began to move towards the door. Lily moved in front of James, keeping the knife hidden by her side, and James had the gun hidden behind Lily.

She threw the door open, revealing a sheepish Gwinnie. Immediately, James' face broke out in a greeting smile. Lily pressed the knife lightly into his hand, which he took immediately, slipping the gun discreetly into his back pocket. Gwinnie held out the newsletter she was holding to Lily. "Your copy was accidentally delivered to my house. I tried to throw it over, but it hit some shrieking cat." She grimaced. "Well, I'll be off." With a sly smile, she added suggestively, "I hope I didn't interrupt anything." She winked at them and scurried down the drive.

Lily shut the door and took the knife back from James, as she moved back towards the counter. James resumed his position on the couch, the threat having being dismissed. Lily flipped over the newsletter, written by no other than Rita Skeeter herself. She read the headline, eyes widening with every word. "James?"

James turned at the sound of her hoarse voice. "What?"

"You should come see this."

With trepidation, James walked over to the kitchen counter to where Lily was standing. Over her shoulder, he read the headline of the front page, a flame of indignation igniting in him.

**_Sex Starved Couple Join The Neighbourhood!_**

James gritted his teeth. "Holy. Shit."

**A week ago, we welcomed James Potter and Lily Evans into our little community. But who exactly are we accepting into our neighbourhood? The truth will surprise you.**

**To the average person, it would seem that James and Lily are your normal pair of lovebirds. However, after a bit of research on behalf of the neighbourhood, I have uncovered the truth about the couple hailing from Stratford – they are sex addicts, hiding in plain sight.**

Lily reached up to cover her face. "I cannot _believe _this!"

**Barely able to keep from undressing each other at the party, the couple is wild in their ways, and not afraid to flaunt it. Nymphomaniac, Lily Evans, has stated that her perfect Saturday would be spent in bed. Well, obviously no sleep will be had between the two of them! How scandalous!**

**Further along our interview, Mr. Potter heavily suggested that they don't restrict their 'endeavours' to the bed alone. When prompted, James was quoted saying "tables and armchairs" were frequently used during their bouts of passion.**

**It has been discovered, to little surprise, that the young couple indulges in unconventional methods of doing the 'hippity dippity'. This has been proven by the uncovering of a wig used in their late night escapades. An unnamed source also hinted at 'sexual fetishes' of the two. **

**According to James Potter, they don't have any pets, as they are ****_"… a very busy couple. We don't really have much time to care for a pet just yet_****." With the rate their going at, they had better watch out, because soon pets will be the least of their worries. If they can hardly imagine caring for a pet, heaven help their children.**

**Article by: Rita Skeeter.**

James stared at the newsletter, eyebrows knitting in frustration. The woman was relentless. Lily's indignant yell cut through his reverie.

"I am NOT a nymphomaniac! What is this piece of rubbish?" she said, angrily smacking the article.

James leaned over her slightly. "And I did not say that about our armchairs. I'd hardly call it a quote if you take 3 words of what I've said."

Lily groaned. "And couldn't she have just said sex? 'Late night escapades.' What a load of dung.' She stepped towards James.

James stepped towards her, "Hippity dippity!" he yelled. They both broke out laughing.

Lily moved closer. "Endeavours!" They laughed harder, clutching their sides.

James caught Lily's shoulder. "Bouts of passion!" Despite the ridiculous euphemism, they both stopped laughing, suddenly becoming aware of how close they were to each other. If Lily were to stand up on her tip toes, their lips would meet. James lowered his head ever so slightly, and Lily's breath came in fast gasps. Both their hearts were racing and James hand dropped to Lily's waist, closing the distance between them. Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him down as her eyes fluttered shut.

At the shrill sound of the ringing phone, they both broke apart. Wide eyed, James rushed to get the phone. "Hello? Oh, Sirius."

"_I'm sorry! Did I interrupt you in a bout of passion?" _Sirius' laughing voice rang through the phone. "_Or were you in the midst of some 'Hippity Dippity'? __How are the kids by the way?" _

"Black. It's not funny." Though Lily and he had been laughing about it moments earlier, James no longer found the situation humorous. He turned to face Lily. She was standing where he had left her, where they almost had kissed. Her eyes snapped to meet his, and she flushed deeply. Without another word, she rushed up the stairs. Suddenly extremely volatile, James resisted the urge to smash the phone against the table.

* * *

**A/N: Arrrgghhhhh! Such UST! This chapter was a BLAST to write! It was so much fun! I really hope you guys like it! Please please please review. Everytime I get a notification saying review/follower/favourite, my heart does this big celebration thing! **

**Cookies to all you lovely readers!**


	7. Changing Tides

**A/N: Chapter 7! Again Remus' dialogue is in _Italics_. Hope you enjoy the chapter, lovelies. Feedback is much appreciated (hint hint)**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling's. Not mine. WHY WHY?**

* * *

Lily's eyes flew open. She could feel her spine tingling and with a jolt she realized that someone was standing behind her. Maybe it was James. _Maybe._ A hand landed on her arm, rolling her onto her back. Her sharp green eyes met the blue ones of the strangers. _Not James._ Her reflexes kicked in immediately; she threw her head upwards, causing it to collide with the bridge of the man's nose. He staggered backwards, releasing a yell of pain, caught unawares by her attack. Lily swung herself off the bed, senses heightened.

With a swift kick, Lily had the man pinned against the wall, her foot lodged against his throat. He struggled and she pressed harder, causing him to omit a strangled sound. Now that she had the upper hand, she scanned his face, searching for a sign that the stranger was indeed a foe. Her moments distraction was all that he needed. Raising his arm, he clamped down on her ankle, twisting her leg so that her back was facing him. Determined to not be captured, Lily ducked forward, twisting around so that her assailant would land on the floor under her. His body slammed into the ground, but he hardly flinched. Much stronger than Lily, he pushed off the floor, rolling over so that she was pinned under him. She struggled, but his hands were braced against her forearms, and his legs were pinning her's in between them. Lily arched her back, still struggling to free herself from his hold.

"Dammit Lily, stop fighting. It's me, James." Lily froze when he spoke.

"James?" she asked tentatively, her body still arched against his.

The man moved one hand away from her arms, carefully clamping them both under one hand and reached up to tug his wig off. James' wild, messy, black hair flopped out as James pulled off the wig.

Lily relaxed completely. "Oh thank god. I thought we had been made. Why are you wearing a disguise?"

James dropped the wig and release Lily's hands, his own coming to rest at her waist, sending a jolt racking through her body. "We're canvassing Riddle's headquarters today. We should be leaving soon…"

Lily was listening, sure she was, but she couldn't help watch the was James' lips moved as he talked. He was still lying on top of her, his hair tickling her forehead, and his breath ghosting over her lips. All she had to do was tilt her head up, and…

"Lily?" James' voice cut through her fantasizing. She glanced up to meet his gaze. Wrong move. He looked directly at her, his disguised eyes darkening. Lily felt a tug at the base of a stomach. She unconsciously lifted her head, closing the distance between them, but James suddenly jerked away, standing suddenly. He looked down at her, still on the floor. A blush stained her cheeks, and James averted his gaze, obviously uncomfortable. He ran a hand through his hair, scrubbing the back of his head frustratedly. "I'll wait for you downstairs." Still refusing to meet Lily's stare, he stooped to pick up the discarded wig and rushed out of the room.

Lily swore repeatedly, banging her head against the floor. Releasing a frustrated groan, she heaved herself off the floor and made way to the bathroom. She braced her arms against the sink, glaring angrily at her reflection in the mirror. What the hell was she doing? What the hell were _they_ doing? They were colleagues, nothing more. She didn't want anything more. Did she? Did _he?_

She thought about James and immediately the all too familiar sensation unfurled in her stomach. Fuck. That was not good. She couldn't do this. She wanted it, but she couldn't. It was _James, _for the love of God. It could jeopardize the mission. Nothing good could come of them being in a relationship. _Weeeellll. _Lily smirked at her reflection. The snogging would be pretty fantastic. Not to mention the shagging...

"Stop!" Lily yelled at her reflection, trying to control her mind from imagining… _things._ She grinned at herself. Man, she had problems. Frustrated, she pulled her hair into a tight bun, and jabbed at her reflection. "Lily Evans. You stop thinking about this. Right now! And do your job. Stop getting distracted, girl." Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, Lily splashed water on her face and proceeded to get ready.

* * *

The brunette made her way to the stairwell, inconspicuously followed by the blonde man. He shut the stairwell door, behind him, and raced up the stairs behind the girl. After a couple of minutes, they reached the twelfth floor of the building. They stopped to catch their breath and the girl spoke, apparently, to no one in particular. "What now?"

_"__Turn right down the first corridor. You'll come to a long passageway. Marlene will walk past you and hand you uniforms. Change, then make your way back to the passageway. I'll give you directions from there. I'm tracking you both, so I'll know when you're ready."_

Lily met James' eyes and he nodded briefly before she opened the door and they both slipped out. They walked briskly down the corridor before turning right to the passage way. Immediately they were confronted with a couple in the midst of a heavy snogging session. Startled, they broke apart, scrambling out of the corridor.

"What's with the lovebirds?" James asked.

Remus snorted. "_It's a bit of an unused passageway. Riddle hardly ever comes down this corridor, so it's a popular spot for romantic escapades. Everyone knows about it. Its just one of those things that goes without questioning."_

James chortled just as Marlene rounded the corner. She walked briefly past them, sneakily handing a Lily a bag with the uniforms in it.

Arriving at a small storage closet, James and Lily ducked into it, as Lily pulled out the shirts emblazoned with the Voldemort Inc. logo.

Lily pulled off her t-shirt and James worked on his buttons. As James removed his shirt, his waist brushed against Lily's and they both became acutely aware of how small the closet really was. They both stilled at the contact, falling completely silent. Lily threw James the company shirt, and they both attempted to put it on at the same time, but the closet wouldn't accommodate that. James cleared his throat. "Err. You go first."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him, "So you can watch me? No. You go first."

"I'm going to watch anyway." Both Lily's eyebrows shot into her hairline, a faint blush betraying her apparent anger. "That came out wrong. I meant… it doesn't matter... fuck." James pulled on the uniform and Lily was transfixed by the movement of his muscles across his abdomen. James buttoned his shirt furiously and glanced up Lily, who was biting her lip, eyes fixated on James' chest.

"AHA. You filthy hypocrite. You stared!"

Startled by James' exclamation, Lily stammered. "I did.. not.. sss-tare." Catching the expression on James' face, she regained composure. "Stop smirking, git." She pulled on her shirt, and this time James was caught transfixed. Lily stepped closer to James, tilting her face up to look at him. She buttoned her shirt excruciatingly slowly. "Like what you see, Potter?" she smirked as he snapped his gaze to hers, expecting a witty reply.

Instead James replied with a blatant "Yes."

The smirk dropped her face as she and James held each other's gaze, desperately trying to convey something to the other.

After a few awkward moments, James turned to the door and reached out for the handle. "Ready?"

Lily adjusted her wig before nodding in reply.

They slipped out into the corridor and quickly made their way back to the passageway. Reaching it, Remus, whose voice was carefully controlled, gave them instructions. _"You'll have to go all the way down this corridor. Then left. This'll be the way you return as well, so don't let ANYONE see your face. If they recognize you, they'll block this route out. Don't. Let them see you."_

"Roger that, Remus." James walked beside Lily down the long corridor, hurrying slightly.

"_There's no one approaching from your left. But I can't get a clear view of the right. Hold on. Hold on…fuck."_

Lily and James both looked at each other, eyes wary, Remus' curse sending a rush of adrenaline shooting through them.

_"__You guys need to get out of the corridor. Stat. Lucius Malfoy is rounding the right corner. Get back into the passageway until he passes. He CANNOT see your faces. If he sees you, he'll know that you're not employees. Do NOT let him see your faces!"_

Lily looked back at the passageway and back at James. It was too far away. They could hear footsteps echoing around them and Lucius Malfoy's sharp voice floating from around the corner. Taking James' hand, she began to race to the passageway, her heart thudding in time with her footsteps.

Still meters away, Remus' panicked voice rang again; "_He's in the corridor in… three…"_

James tugged on Lily's hand, pulling her to a stop.

_"__Two…"_

He pushed her against the wall, pinning her in place with his hips.

_"__One."_

James lowered his head, and as Lucius Malfoy came into view, James pressed his lips against Lily's.

* * *

**A/N: Eek! What now? Please be a dear and review. It sends me higher than the moon! Also, I've uploaded a new AU one-shot. It'll be in my profile, give it a read and let me know what you think! Much loves. xx**


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